Nine of our Favorite Museum Fine Art Masterpieces at Houston's MFAH

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

While it would be literally impossible to show all of our favorite masterpieces located inside of Houston's Museum of Fine Arts, this hub will show nine of the ones that my husband and I really enjoy viewing.

Local art lovers are fortunate to have one of the five largest art museums in the country located right here in Houston, Texas.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston can no longer be contained in one building but has spilled over into two large structures, the original Caroline Wiess Law Building and the newer ediface directly across the street...The Audrey Jones Beck Building.

Also a part of the MFA complex is the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden across the street from the original museum site as well as two mansions currently owned and operated by the Museum of Fine Arts...Bayou Bend and Rienzi.

The Glassell School of Art completes this Museum District picture with regard to the MFAH for the moment. Given time, this author is certain that there will be further expansions accomplished.

The photo above shows a partial view of the Caroline Weiss Law Building with an Alexander Calder sculpture titled The Crab gracing the sidewalk near the entrance. The bright red piece of Calder art is an enticement to come inside and enjoy the many wonders of artistic creation which can be explored at one's leisure.

Museum hours are from 10AM to 5PM Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Thursdays the hours are extended from 10AM to 9PM. Friday and Saturday one can visit the museum from 10AM to 7PM and on Sundays it is open from 12:15 PM until closing time at 7PM.

Each Thursday the general admission is free due to the generosity of Shell Oil Company Foundation as it is the first Sunday of each month because of Target underwriting the cost.

This offers people on tight budgets the opportunity to see these masterful art pieces and parking across from the Caroline Wiess Law Building is also free. There is a slight charge to park in the covered parking lot adjacent to the Audrey Jones Beck Building. Thus, there are few excuses to neglect visiting the MFAH and enjoying the day or a portion of a day there!

Pictures

Some museums do not allow the taking of pictures at all and others do. At the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, non-flash photography is allowed in certain areas and for this reason I can share some of our favorite pieces of art with you. These pictures were all taken in the European Art section on the second floor of the Audrey Jones Beck Building.

Come along with us and at the end of this hub please vote on which of these nine masterpieces is your favorite.

This first painting shown here (above) is by Auguste Renoir, a French artist who lived from 1841 to 1919. Girl Reading was created in 1890 and is an oil on canvas.

This author has always enjoyed Renoir's works, both the voluptuous women he is known to have painted as well as his endearing subjects such as this rosy cheeked child relaxing in a chair while reading her book. Although never having had my portrait painted, I can relate to having spent much of my childhood perusing numerous books. Therefore this painting particularly draws my attention.

Gustave Caillebotte, a French artist who lived from 1848 to 1894 created this oil on canvas titled The Orange Trees in 1878.

An impressionistic painting, this nicely portrays a gentle scene of leisure in a lovely garden setting. Can't you just imagine the aromatic breezes sweetened by the blooming flowers gently wafting by on this sunny day? The shade from those orange trees was obviously being welcomed by the two people in this setting while their somnolent dog was enjoying the rays of the sun.

This author would certainly enjoy spending time in an environment such as the one portrayed in this painting! How about you?

Maurice de Vlaminck, a French artist ( 1876 - 1958 ) painted this oil on canvas titled Landscape at Valmondois in 1912.

Influenced by Paul Cézanne in his later life, notice the dramatic brush strokes! The colors are also very intense and this painting would be hard for one to ignore. Highlighted by rays of light filtering down through the dark clouds overhead, the buildings in this landscape are made to be the focal point as well as the pathway leading to the ones in back in this author's opinion. They look like safe havens from what could be an impending storm. Or has the threat of it already passed?

What do you see in this landscape painting?

Marc Chagall was a Russian artist ( 1887 - 1985 ) who created this oil on canvas titled The Woman and the Roses in 1929.

According to the plaque on the side of this painting in the MFA, the woman in a reclining pose at the top of this canvas was Chagall's wife, Bella.

My husband is especially fond of this painting and has generally liked many of Chagall's pieces that are similar to this one which is why it is included here as one of our favorites.

Chagall was a very successful artist who created many different types of art throughout his long career. From stained glass to paintings to prints to tapestries...those and more became his fine art mediums.

Kees van Dongen, a Dutch painter ( 1877 - 1968 ) produced this oil on canvas titled The Corn Poppy in 1919.

Referring to the brilliant red hat with this title, van Dongen took part in the short-lived Fauvism art movement whose artists embraced bright colors among other things.

This red hat screams at one to come a take a look!  Look at those accentuated eyes!

Kees van Dongen often painted sailors and prostitutes.  In this case, according to the sign to the right of the painting, this was probably one of the "smart set" leading a "decadent lifestyle" sometime between the two World Wars. 

Mary Cassatt, an American artist ( 1844 - 1926 ) executed this oil on canvas titled Susan Comforting the Baby in 1881.

Coming from a privileged background, Mary Cassatt was determined to make her own living by way of creating art when it was not common for women to do so. She spent much of her time in France and befriended Edgar Degas and became a part of the Impressionist movement.

Much of her subject matter relates to the strong bonds between mothers and their children which makes this particular piece of art so endearing.

Paul Ranson, French artist ( 1864 - 1909 ) created this oil on canvas titled Apple Tree with Red Fruit in 1902. 

This is reminiscent of Japanese woodblock art prints and yet the fact of this peaceful scene being painted in oils on canvas lends such vibrancy and depth of color to the piece.  It draws my attention each and every time that I get to view it. 

With the almost bare tree serving to direct one's eyes towards the scenery, both near and distant, the fruit is a minimalistic part of this masterpiece in this author's humble opinion.

Edgar Degas, a French artist ( 1834 - 1917 ) created this masterpiece titled Woman Drying Herself in 1905.

This is a charcoal and pastel on tracing paper which was then mounted on wove paper.

Throughout his career, Degas excelled in portraying the female form. Who has not seen some of his famous portrayals of ballet dancers? The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston offers a wonderful space to display this favorite piece of ours.

Claude Monet, a French artist ( 1840 - 1926 ) created this oil on canvas titled The Windmill on the Onbekende Gracht, Amsterdam in 1874.

Considered to be the father of Impressionism, Monet did much of his landscape painting out in the open air ( en plein-air ) as he did with this image.

The plaque adjacent to this exquisite painting tells this story...This particular mill produced textile dyes extracted from various colored woods but went out of business when chemical dyes became the fashion. The building was demolished in 1876.

Thanks to Claude Monet's brilliant depiction of this scene it can continue to be imprinted upon our minds and as often as my husband and I visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, we make sure that we take another look at this favorite masterpiece.

It was a pleasure sharing nine of our favorite masterpieces in Houston's Museum of Fine Arts with you. Hopefully you have taken the time to vote and show which one of these nine would be your favorite. It may be hard to choose...but let's all see which one comes out on top. Thanks!